Although it is well established that a single neural network can generate several related but distinct behaviors, we still do not understand the mechanisms that allow the nervous system to generate multiple behaviors in response to different stimuli. The long range goal of the research presented in this proposal is to understand the neural mechanisms that assure the selection of the appropriate neural output according to the behavioral demands imposed on the organism. We propose to use the well characterized feeding behaviors and its neural substrates in Aplysia in order to extract the principles which relate sensory inputs to the selection and initiation of complex behaviors. We propose to test a hypothesis that this selection can be explained in terms of a combinatorial action of modulatory cotransmitters released from specialized pattern initiating neurons (CBIs) that function as sensory interneurons that funnel sensory information to the pattern generating circuitry. The proposed projects include: 1) identification of specific inputs to the pattern initiating neurons and determination of behaviors in which these cells are active; 2) Characterization of the contribution that these neurons make to specific behaviors; 3) Identification of transmitters and modulators released from these cells; 4) determination of the biophysical and cellular mechanisms of action of the modulators. The research will use an integrative inter- disciplinary approach in which simplified preparations consisting of isolated portions of the nervous system are used in conjunctions with semi-intact preparations that can generate complex behaviors that occur in intact animals. This approach provides assurance of the behavioral relevance of the cellular mechanisms that will be uncovered using a combination of electrophysiological, biophysical, biochemical and molecular techniques. The general importance of this type of research is likely to extend beyond the field of the selection of motor behavior, as combinatorial actions of multiple cotransmitters may be responsible for such phenomena as behavioral arousal and selective attention.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH050235-08
Application #
6186064
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZMH1-NRB-Q (06))
Project Start
1993-09-30
Project End
2003-06-30
Budget Start
2000-07-20
Budget End
2001-06-30
Support Year
8
Fiscal Year
2000
Total Cost
$257,794
Indirect Cost
Name
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Department
Physiology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
114400633
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10029
Jing, Jian; Vilim, Ferdinand S; Horn, Charles C et al. (2007) From hunger to satiety: reconfiguration of a feeding network by Aplysia neuropeptide Y. J Neurosci 27:3490-502
Jing, Jian; Weiss, Klaudiusz R (2005) Generation of variants of a motor act in a modular and hierarchical motor network. Curr Biol 15:1712-21
Hurwitz, Itay; Susswein, Abraham J; Weiss, Klaudiusz R (2005) Transforming tonic firing into a rhythmic output in the Aplysia feeding system: presynaptic inhibition of a command-like neuron by a CpG element. J Neurophysiol 93:829-42
Jing, Jian; Cropper, Elizabeth C; Hurwitz, Itay et al. (2004) The construction of movement with behavior-specific and behavior-independent modules. J Neurosci 24:6315-25
Dembrow, Nikolai C; Jing, Jian; Brezina, Vladimir et al. (2004) A specific synaptic pathway activates a conditional plateau potential underlying protraction phase in the Aplysia feeding central pattern generator. J Neurosci 24:5230-8
Wu, Jin-Sheng; Jing, Jian; Diaz-Rios, Manuel et al. (2003) Identification of a GABA-containing cerebral-buccal interneuron-11 in Aplysia californica. Neurosci Lett 341:5-8
Brezina, Vladimir; Orekhova, Irina V; Weiss, Klaudiusz R (2003) Neuromuscular modulation in Aplysia. I. Dynamic model. J Neurophysiol 90:2592-612
Furukawa, Y; Nakamaru, K; Sasaki, K et al. (2003) PRQFVamide, a novel pentapeptide identified from the CNS and gut of Aplysia. J Neurophysiol 89:3114-27
Brezina, Vladimir; Orekhova, Irina V; Weiss, Klaudiusz R (2003) Neuromuscular modulation in Aplysia. II. Modulation of the neuromuscular transform in behavior. J Neurophysiol 90:2613-28
Proekt, Alex; Weiss, Klaudiusz R (2003) Convergent mechanisms mediate preparatory states and repetition priming in the feeding network of Aplysia. J Neurosci 23:4029-33

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